Billiard-table.



W. F. LAWRENZ.

BILLIARD TABLE.

APPLICATION FILED 001216, 1911.

1,036,277, I Patented Aug.20, 1912.

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WILLIAM F. LAWRENZ, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BILLIARD-TABLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. LAWRENZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Billiard-Tables, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention pertains to certain new and useful improvements in billiard tables, and relates more particularly to the bed thereof.

The object of the invention is to provide a bed which is constructed of a series of slabs that are formed of plastic material, which, when set, provide a hard, smooth playing surface, and a base that is softer than the playing surface to receive and hold tacks that are driven thereinto to secure the cloth or felt in position.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a bed constructed in accordance with the present invention, the cloth or felt being broken away; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a mold in which a slab is illustrated in the process of construction, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of one of the slabs.

The slabs are formed of a composition of matter which consists of Sorel cement (magnesium oxid and chlorid combined); silica or marble dust or similar hard ingredient; saw dust, and asbestos. The cement acts as an adhesive binder; the asbestos a binder of a different character, which forms an inexpensive and light material to form an efficient body for the composition, and the silica or marble dust imparts requisite hardness to the resultant product. The slabs, when set, are extremely tough, and will not crack as slate will sometimes do when a billiard ball is thrown or dropped upon the table.

In the process of making the slabs, a mold 1 having a glass bottom 21s preferably used so that the playing surfaces of the slabs will possess extremely smooth faces which have the same high gloss characteristic of glass. A mixture of the aforementioned ingredients containing a relatively larger portion of the hard ingredient (silica or marble dust) is first poured into the mold to form the playing surface stratum 3, and as this stratum is formed on the glass bottom of the mold the surface of same, which forms the playing surface of the bed, possesses a Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 16, 1911.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

Serial No. 654,992.

high gloss when set. Prior to setting of the stratum 3, a further quantity of the same composition is poured in the mold on top of said stratum 3 to form a lower soft stratum 4 that forms the base of the bed, and since both strata are formed of substantially the same composition, they readily amalgamate to provide an integral mass. The difference between the two strata is that the lower one 4 which forms the base of the bed contains relatively less of the hard ingredient and more of the softer ingredients.

As depicted in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, the cloth or felt 5 is secured to the slabs by means of tacks 6 that are driven into the lower or base stratum 4. A vital and important advantage derived by use of the present invention is that of tacking the cloth directly to the slab itself, thereby simplifying the bed construction and ma terially lessening the expense of producing same, since the wood frame that supports the bed does not have to be constructed so as to permit the cloth to be tacked thereto. By using plate glass having an absolutely level surface free from any undulations for the bottom 2, the surface of the slab formed thereon is rendered absolutely level and smooth, whereby the necessity of making the surface of the slab level and smooth after same is removed from the mold is obviated.

While the slab is particularly adapted for use as a bed for billiard tables, and the like, yet it should be understood that same can be advantageously used for the top of kitchen cabinets and the like, instead of zinc, etc., which is objectionable.

What is claimed is .1. A bed for billiard tables formed of slabs each having a hard upper stratum and a soft lower stratum, the latter to receive the tacks for holding the cloth over the face of the upper stratum.

2. An integral one-piece slab for use in the formation of a billiard table bed having a hard upper stratum and a soft lower stratum.

3. An integral one-piece slab for use in the formation of a billiard table bed having a hard upper stratum and a soft lower stratum, both strata being composed of a composition of matter including silica, sawdust, asbestos and cement, the lower stratum having less silica than the upper stratum.

4. A billiard table bed formed of a composition of matter having a hard playing surface and a soft base to receive tacks for holding the cloth on the playing surface.

5. A one-piece integral slab for use in the formation of billiard table 7 beds composed of a composition of matter molded to have an upper stratum and a lower stratum, the upper stratum being formed of sawdust, asbestos, a hard element, and a binder, and the lower stratum being formed of sawdust, asbestos and a binder.

arta herein-described monolithic slab composed of two layers of a composition of silica, cement, saw dust, and asbestos, one of 15 the layers containing a greater amount of silica than the other.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIAM F. LAWRENZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

